Marriage of Convenience (23 page)

Malcolm’s shaft was hot and firm against her hand, and she stroked him. His hips automatically flexed in response, and he dug his fingers into her shoulders. Capturing her mouth with his, Malcolm kissed her deeply, plunging his tongue into her warmth, mimicking the actions of his hips.

“Caroline, I need you.”

She nodded and kissed him thoroughly before taking on the buttons of his shirt. They disrobed quickly, and Malcolm turned them on the chaise so that he was settled on top. She loved the weight of his body pressing down on her, dominating her. Moving her splayed fingers across his shoulder, she wanted to experience every inch of him. She slid her foot up and down his thigh while tracing the indented path of his spine with her fingers. Slowly, she skimmed her hands around his waist, before moving lower to squeeze and pull at his buttocks, urging him to move closer to her aching center.

As she explored his body, Malcolm tenderly kneaded the soft flesh of her breasts, flicking her nipples with his thumbs until they stood at attention. He replaced his hands with his mouth, nipping and suckling first one and then the other until Caroline whimpered in pleasure.

He moved to her neck, and she raked her fingers through his hair. He moaned in approval, and she smiled, pleased to give as well as receive.

His breath was ragged against her ear, sending shivers down her spine. She was so close already. “Can you feel how much you please me?”

Caroline, unable to speak, only nodded. Malcolm raised himself up on his elbows and looked down at her.

“Every whimper, every shudder, every sensation is amplified with you.”

Malcolm trailed his finger tips down the length of her body, barely making contact with her skin, but still causing her to shiver in delight. Raising her arm, he brushed delicate kisses down its length until he reached her fingers. Then, one by one, he sucked on each finger, using his tongue to tease the sensitive skin of her palm.

He offered the other arm the same treatment, watching Caroline as she watched him with half hooded eyelids.

Shifting lower, he laid a trail of butterfly kisses over her stomach. He traced the shape of her navel with his tongue while delicately kneading her bottom with his hands. Gently, Malcolm nibbled her hip bone and soothed kisses over the pinked skin.

Having explored and claimed his new wife’s lovely body, Malcolm gently pulled her jeans down and pushed her knees apart. Caroline could already feel the tremors building inside of her. The mere thought of what he might do to her had her hips restlessly shifting on the chaise, silently acquiescing and pleading for it start.

Malcolm slid his finger over her sensitive flesh and dipped one and then two fingers into her, causing her to clutch the sides of the chair and raise her hips. Rhythmically, Malcolm moved in and out of her. With each stroke, her breath caught, and she struggled to maintain sanity. When his hot tongue began to tease her tender flesh, she was lost, tumbling uncontrollably over the edge.

Her heart hammering in her chest, Caroline let her legs fall to the side. Rising to his knees, Malcolm obviously had no intention of letting her relax. Lifting her legs, he raised them hip-high. “Wrap your legs around me,” he said, his voice gruff even as he thrust inside her.

Caroline’s eyes widened as he filled her. They rocked back and forth, allowing the tension to build until they were both beyond control. Caroline cried out as she came, her body squeezing around his. At the same time, Malcolm emitted a cry and allowed his body to relax over hers. Slowly reality overtook the foggy warmth that enveloped them, and he began to shift off her, bracing himself with his forearms.

“No, stay.” Caroline tugged him back into place until he covered her once again. She wrapped her arms around his glistening chest.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.

“But it keeps the feeling alive. Just for a few more minutes.”

Caroline felt him relax into her body, burying his face in her hair as she leisurely rubbed her hands up and down his sweat-slicked back. He was still inside of her, and she wished they could stay this way forever. She felt possessed by him and never wanted to feel any other way.

With a sigh, she pushed against his shoulder, and he rolled onto his side, drawing her close to cuddle her against him. “That was amazing,” he said with a satisfied sigh, kissing her lightly on the crown of her head. She snuggled closer and laid an arm across his stomach. With his hand on her arm, it wouldn’t have been possible for them to be physically connected any more than they were. The physical closeness resembled the mental and emotional closeness that had grown between them over the last few weeks.

Though she still thought of her goal, Caroline felt herself vacillating a little more each day toward the idea that she could have everything. A loyal husband, an exciting job, a beautiful home, an adventurous life, and a wonderful baby. She dared not think about it too much, but once the notion tumbled into her brain, it was difficult not to watch it grow and blossom with each passing day.

Stretching out beside her husband, Caroline warmed herself in the sun. They hadn’t made love on the patio yet, and she relished the cool breeze as well as the warm sun. Her stomach growled, reminding her that before they’d devoured each other, they’d been waiting to have lunch.

Sitting up to reach the house line, Caroline turned back to Malcolm to confirm their sailing plans. Malcolm checked his phone for messages and pages and then nodded in the affirmative. Caroline asked Geoffrey to pack their sandwiches and then turned her face back to the sun. Today would be another wonderful day.

An accomplished City girl, Caroline traveled to the shop by subway. The shop wasn’t directly on the line, so she walked the remaining few blocks from the station. She supposed she could catch the bus, but unless the weather was uncooperative, the walk was pleasant enough. This morning the sun peeked through the light clouds and promised a comfortably cool, but sunny fall day. The morning walk gave her time to review her schedule and mentally prepare for the day. The evening walk gave her time to unwind and release any pent-up emotions that had gathered during the day.

She knew she would have plenty to kick around this evening’s walk as she arrived to find her shop surrounded by New York’s finest.

“Ma’am, you can’t go in there. Please stay back off the sidewalk.” A young officer placed his arm in front of Caroline’s path, preventing her from entering the side door. He was smooth-faced and too polite to have been on the force long. She imagined he was saddled with this duty as a result of someone else pulling rank and refusing to be the crime scene bouncer.

“Why can’t I go inside?” Her mind was reeling from the shock of seeing the cops at her door. She wanted to assess the damage and understand what she was seeing. The sidewalk, which was cordoned off with yellow tape, was covered in broken glass. The same glass from the large plate glass windows that used to separate her cafe sitting area from the rest of the City. Polyester stuffing floated in and out of the gaping hole created by the broken glass, but because the main part of the window and sitting area turned the corner, she couldn’t see the full extent of the damage.

“I own this shop. Please let me in. What happened? Was anyone hurt? Who did this?” Tears pricked her eyes, and she fought to maintain she composure. Pressing her lips together, she took a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes. She had insurance, so there wouldn’t be a problem with replacing the broken glass or the smashed furniture. As far as she was aware, however, her policy didn’t cover emotional breakdowns or mental collapse, regardless of how violated she felt as a result of someone so callously invading her life and destroying her dream.

“Ma’am, if this place is yours, those guys over there are going to want to speak with you.” He pointed to a pair of men in street clothes standing just inside the side door. “If you’ll wait here, I’ll see if they’re ready to talk to you.” He trotted off without a response.

It was just as well. Caroline was fairly certain her vocalization skills were weak at best. Her hands had started to shake, but as the young officer ran off, she pushed passed the onlookers and onto the sidewalk. Slipping under the yellow tape, she walked around the edge of the sidewalk and around the corner. On this side of the street, she had a full view of what had been a beautifully arranged sitting area. A customer could sit in a cocktail chair at the short stretch of bar and people watch, read in one of the overstuffed chairs she’d personally scouted, or work on a laptop at a long, wooden farm bench. She’d had the tables especially made with a trench running down the center to hold cords, pencil cups, files, and books. Each space had a cup holder, so drinks didn’t accidentally get pushed over, and a raised plate shelf, so papers didn’t get mixed in the food.

“Ma’am, I asked you to wait over there.” The tone in the young officer’s voice was that of a parent to a petulant child.

Caroline didn’t respond. She couldn’t, even if she’d cared about straying from her spot. The cocktail chairs were missing their seats. The chair backs were slashed through and the stuffing pulled from the seats. The tables listed at odd angles as their legs had been splintered and broken. Their surfaces had been gouged and burned. Shards of broken glass sparkled on every surface.

“Ma’am? Please come back this way. You’re standing in the crime scene. Did you touch anything?”

Turning to the insensitive public servant, her mouth agape, words failed her. Tears streamed down her face. Even if she could replace the material losses, would she? The damage was extensive and brutal. Deliberate.

“Did you touch anything?”

Caroline, head hung low, shook her head.

“Come with me, please.”

She followed without question, numbing to the scene in front of her. Surely she was going to wake up any moment. She was really snug in her bed, Malcolm snoring gently beside her. She’d open her eyes, see his handsome face and enjoy the wonderful coffee aroma filtering in from the kitchen. She’d wake Malcolm slowly, enjoy a shower with him, skip breakfast because they’d spent too much time in the shower, and take her coffee on the run. The day at the shop would be busy but productive, and she’d return to the house in the evening ready to regale Malcolm with stories of demanding brides and unrealistic deadlines.

“Caroline? Oh, God, are you all right? What the hell happened?” A chorus of voices reached out from the crowd. Caroline’s head popped up at the familiar voices. Oh, to be near someone who could understand her devastation. She detoured from the young officer’s path and reached out to her staff.

“Caroline! What happened?”

“Who did this? Why did they do it?”

“What should we do? Caroline, tell us!”

Their questions came at once, their faces pulled with anxiety. They wrapped her in their arms, pressing close. She welcomed the contact and leaned into them.

“I don’t know, guys, I don’t know. I just got here and found it like this. I didn’t even call the police. They were already here.” Fresh tears slid down her cheeks, and the girls quickly wiped them away and reached into hopelessly large shoulder bags for tissues.

Hushed with the lack of details, the women simply stood, holding onto one another.

“How can we help?”

“I don’t think there’s much they’ll let us do yet. I’m supposed to go speak with some officers.” Caroline tossed a look over her shoulder only to see the young officer fighting his way back through the crowd to her. He apparently hadn’t seen her detour and was furious to get her back on track again.

“You guys should just go home. I’ll call you later.”

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” The young officer was back. “You all are employees here?”

“We are. She owns the place.”

“I’m sure the officers will want to talk with you as well. Come with me, please. And don’t fall behind or walk away.” He eyes cut toward Caroline.

The officers started with the employees first: name, addresses, length of employment, criminal records, details of their last twelve hours, and current working phone numbers. Caroline was asked to wait in a car while they took this information. As she watched her friends wander off, chatting and gesturing, she wished she could go with them. She didn’t want to talk about the damage, speculate about the culprit, or confirm information. Despite her restful night’s sleep, she felt tired and weak.

When an officer finally opened the door and asked her to step inside, she was certain she’d rather not.

“Ma’am, we need to ask you some questions and want you to walk the premises to see if anything is missing. We’re interested in establishing a motive.” He held the door open and waved her toward the side door. She hesitated, and the officer actually let go of the door to offer her his hand. Did she look that pathetic? Ignoring it, she pushed herself to her feet. The sooner this was over the sooner she could make some decisions about her future.

Caroline answered the questions as best she could, but felt her mind numb over as she surveyed the full extent of the destruction. No, she didn’t know why her business had been targeted. No, she didn’t think she had any enemies. Yes, she was insured, but only to repair structural damage and soft lines; there would be no cash payout. No, nothing else seemed amiss.

In fact, the rest of the shop appeared untouched. The counter glass was intact, the rear shelving perfectly functional, the ovens and equipment completely operational.

Only her office door was ajar.

Pushing through, Caroline surveyed the room from the open door. Everything seemed to be just as she left it. Except … she hadn’t filed in days, so why was the cabinet drawer cracked open? And she hadn’t been reviewing the calendar before she left, so why was it on her desk rather than on her assistant’s desk where it could be updated hourly?

Stepping cautiously into the room and around her desk, Caroline pulled the drawer open wider. The folders had been pulled out and rearranged, but otherwise appeared intact. Fingering the labels, she found the receipts and invoices folders and pulled them out. These files were typically upfront because they were in a constant state of flux. New invoices were added daily and held until someone had a chance to update them electronically. Receipts were held in a separate file for the same reason.